Thread: check.By the way, everyone who doesn't know why I've been thinking of a hippopotamus ever since I heard this fight's title shouldn't ever search for "noodles on my back" on YouTube. You'll never get it out of your head again.

Manhattan Glutton wrote:Foot - Interesting things keep it going, despite the lack of instruments. Nicely done, but I think some more polish could bring it home.

I've got two rhythm guitar tracks, a bass, a lead guitar, lead vox, bgvs, handclaps, and a tambourine, so naturally I'm inclined to question the phrase, "lack of instruments" - it seemed pretty filled out to me (though intentionally sparse in places). Thanks for the review though - I can hardly believe how fast you posted it.

ps - as always, I did a cam for this song. watch at your own risk, as it's a poor angle of the action (at best).

Reïst wrote:I've got two rhythm guitar tracks, a bass, a lead guitar, lead vox, bgvs, handclaps, and a tambourine, so naturally I'm inclined to question the phrase, "lack of instruments" - it seemed pretty filled out to me (though intentionally sparse in places). Thanks for the review though - I can hardly believe how fast you posted it.

I assumed you had just thrown in some free drum loops, from your particular choice of percussion. No offense intended. I'll give them all another listen on headphones tomorrow and maybe things will come up differently.

If I had a dollar for every one of my songs j$ has called a 90s pastiche, I'd have $1 for every song I've written.

Manhattan Glutton wrote:I assumed you had just thrown in some free drum loops, from your particular choice of percussion.

Nah, I don't have the technical expertise to pull off loops (especially in a song totally devoid of a click-track). Everything's recorded live in my lil old recording room. This is the first time I've recorded my non-drumset tambourine too, so that's kind of fun.

BAM! New account. I'll try a jast-like rating system this time. Atmosphere=A, Entertainment=E, Musicianship=M, Production=P. A&E are out of 5, while M&P are out of 3.

Berkeley Social Scene - That's a good intro and verse, and definitely some nice harmonies. Lyrics are kind of interesting, but a little lazy sounding on a few lines in the chorus (chris or kevin/monkey's on my back). Melody's a little uninspired in the chorus, and the drummer sounds like he's trying to show off too much. As always, excellent production. It's a little long though, and nothing really caught my attention.A=3/5, E=2/5, M=3/3, P=3/3.

Cain - Excellent atmosphere here, I can dig it ... this would be excellent for a concert intro. Vocals are a little poor pitchwise, but I like the tone of your voice. The drums could use a little reverb - that's not a rule though, it would just fit in this song. Production's clear, and it's overall pretty fun to listen to. Pretty rudimentary guitar strumming, fake drums and pitchy vox hurt it a lot though.A=4/5, E=3/5, M=0/3, P=2/3.

Christopher Cogott - Not digging that guitar sound, but those vox are killer. I'm intrigued by the lyrics, harmonies and energy. There's definitely some beach boys influence there, but given the mood of the song it's not too blatant. This is the best yet, I think. Production's not very full, but that's a minor gripe (for me at least). We definitely used some of the same rhymes too, so maybe that's swaying my opinion, as well.A=4/5, E=4/5, M=2/3, P=1/3.

Doscientos - Weird. It holds my attention out of its sheer wackitude, but other than that, I'm not entirely enthralled to be listening to it. I'm never thrilled to hear a percussion loop - it seems soulless to me. And your voice is a little nasally (I get that problem sometimes too). Interesting effort though.A=5/5, E=3/5, M=1/3, P=1/3.

Foot In Mouth Disease - ITSA ME! And in case you're wondering, that line is "back in vogue". My anunciation can be pretty poor sometimes.

J$ - We both sing about throwing poo. Bonus points for thinking alike. Those drums are really far back in the mix, and the organ's a bit off. Singing's on key, but the tone isn't my favorite. On the other hand, the songwriting and lyrics are engaging to be sure. Good entry.A=4/5, E=4/5, M=1/3, P=1/3.

Manhattan Glutton - Great guitar tone. Those are fake drums, right? If not, that's tight. The oooooooohs feel a little off, but that can be excused by that killer chorus. You sound less than interested with singing - especially in a song that seems like the vox should be more intense. Man, "if you wonder why" is freaking genius, man. The harmonies there are brilliant. This could be a win for sure with real drums (or at least pumped up drums) and some passion in the vox.A=3/5, E=5/5, M=2/3, P=3/3.

The Other White Noise - Interesting sound here. Dang, I was hoping for you to go somewhere with this, but it's short and consists of pretty much one line. Manhattan Glutton's a tough act to follow, so maybe my expectations were too high. Sorry.A=4/5, E=1/5, M=1/3, P=3/3.

Paco Del Stinko - Nice intro. Very old-genesis-esque here. Maybe a little darker and less pompous, I suppose. I like this. Despite though, I'm feeling like I won't listen to it again - it didn't really have any WOW moments for me. Great effort though - ambitious songs are always fun to listen to.A=4/5, E=3/5, M=3/3, P=2/3.

Ross Durand - Nice groove, coupled with an uninspired melody and lyrics I could take or leave. I'm torn. Don't really have much else to say, sorry dude.A=3/5, E=2/5, M=2/3, P=2/3.

Scomber & Friends - I like the intro. Your sound is tight, but a little uninteresting. Your vocal tone is a little closed off, like you're singing in your head and not projecting. Not a bad effort though, I can dig this as background music for a train ride or something. ps - it makes me cringe it when people do a soaring note on the word "I". It feels like lazy songwriting to me. That's coming from a guy who's used that trick in the past too, so take it with a grain of salt.A=4/5, E=1/5, M=2/3, P=2/3.

Semolina Pilchards - That intro was nice, but hardly needed. Nice jam atmosphere, but alas that's not my thing (Unless I'm the drummer. Then I love it). Chorus melody has some hook, but the verse does not. The mix doesn't really pop like a jamming tune should, but it doesn't really hurt the song. As with a few of the other tunes, I didn't have any WOW moment, so I probably wouldn't come back to it. Not bad at all though.A=3/5, E=2/5, M=2/3, P=2/3.

Signboy - Quiet mix, but hey ... I have a volume knob! Hoorah. You have a great vocal tone, but the melodies you choose aren't very memorable. I guess the slow, plodding melody has some charm to it, and I've noticed it in some other Signboy songs, so maybe it's just your sound. Nice guitar, too. I'm assuming those are fake drums too, right? Not totally sure what I think of this. It's well executed, but I'm just not sure what it is.A=2/5, E=3/5, M=3/3, P=2/3.

The Weakest Suit - I like the honesty in your vocals. I wish you'd pump up your guitar tone a bit - this style demands some crunch and ball-kicking. Your lyrics are excellent too. It's a little tough to listen to though - maybe those drums. They're so excited but they don't really contribute any oomph. As usual, your songwriting is tight, but the execution kind of detracts from its potential. Nice to hear you doing something other than G&G though.A=3/5, E=4/5, M=2/3, P=1/3.

Hi folks, tell me if I'm out of turn posting reviews as a complete noob who has yet to participate in an actual SongFight, but I just love talking music and I typed out a few thoughts on the tracks as I listened to them. Just think of it as the opinions of a total outsider.

Berkeley Social Scene - Reminds me of Marillion. Lyrics are a bit self-conscious. Like the chiming guitars. Sounds needs more space, just a bit of reverb would've been nice. The guitar sound on the solo needed more overdrive for that style of solo, and the guitar sounds in general sounded a bit direct-y, though that was more of a problem for some than others. Nice drums. If there was a bass part in the mix, though, I couldn't hear it.

Cain - Vocal is very pitchy but singer has a good, interesting voice and style. Good, thoughtful arrangement, just needs to pick up a *bit* more in the chorus sections, maybe an occasional crash cymbal or a distorted guitar or something. Solo section didn't quite work. Lyrics are nothing special, but the rest of the song is interesting enough to carry them.

Christopher Cogott - Nice harmonies. Works as "advanced G&G" - a little bit of synth strings, or a flute or clarinet, or just something or other for a bit of variety as the song developed would've been nice, but it's well-recorded. Lyrics are rather generic, a couple of lame rhymes; great musical composition though. Makes me want to do a big-production cover of it.

VOTE - Doscientos - Very creative and evocative take, just needed to be developed more, and the contrasts in the arrangements needed to be bigger and start sooner; in particular, the bass needs come in sooner and be more assertive. I'm hearing a growly bass guitar part in my head that would make the track absolute perfection (for me, anyway). Vocals are a bit off at the beginning; it takes the ear a few bars to figure out how the vocal and the kalimba fit together. A brief sound collage extending the hallucinatory feel of the song would have been a better ending.

Foot In Mouth Disease - Another one that sounds like something on the radio, for good and ill (though a major-label producer would've stuck big chugging acoustic guitars on it). Like the backing vocals and the Pixies-esque guitar lead (I'm hearing a lot of Pixies this week).

Johnny Cashpoint - Out of sync at the beginning. "Gorillas on my crack"? Gah! Wanders back and forth over the line between "clever" and "precious". Hand percussion might have worked better than the electronic drums for this. Recording was a bit primitive, but I've heard much worse. Can't decide whether a "solo" section would've added to the song, or whether it's good for this kind of song not to hang around too long, as is often the case with comedy numbers.

Manhattan Glutton - Yeoman job of recording and performing, but feels rather generic. 1 part AIC, 3 parts 3 Doors Down or something, I dunno, I avoid mainstream rock radio these days.

The Other White Noise - NIN much? About two-thirds of a good idea, just needed MORE - more song, more detailed stereo picture. The jerky loop at the beginning actually got my hopes up that the song was going somewhere clever. Overall impression was actually positive, but I'm a sucker for heavy guitars and ambitious production.

VOTE - Paco del Stinko - Very cool vocals, the lead reminds me of Frank Black. The drum intro at the transition was a little rough, otherwise the trans was just what I was hoping would happen. Engagingly deranged lyrics. Love the lead guitars, both the sound and the playing. Drums crying out for a bit of reverb but really like how they're recorded and played otherwise. Can't decide whether I like the Wire-like abrupt ending - maybe I just want more of this song.

Ross Durand - Immediate negative reaction to the song concept, and the chorus is just a non-sequitur. Like the wah guitar and pennywhistle, performed well overall.

VOTE - Scomber & Friends - Reminds me of James Taylor. Lead vocal clips a bit and the drums get ahead of the pocket as the song goes on, but nice production and performance otherwise. Beautiful, affecting song that would stand up well to covers in different styles. LOVE the trumpet.

The Semolina Pilchards - Like the heavy bass, don't like the lyrics or the rapid-fire chorus vocal. Has a very "local band" sound - stripped-down funk feel, low-key silly lyrics, the instruments play out but don't quite catch fire. Needs a bit more development and a less abrupt ending.

Signboy - Mastered a bit quiet. Mix lacks punch, esp. the drums, and guitars need a speaker simulator. The synth line makes it harder to take the rest of the song seriously - I'd say play that line on a lead guitar for this kind of song. Lyrics don't do much for me. Nice breakdown bridge - again, use effected guitars in place of the synth, maybe. The overall approach just didn't do it for me.

The Weakest Suit - Might appeal more to somebody who likes the rockabilly thing more than I do - definitely see the merits of it. The production does its job. Sounds like something you would've heard on a Sub Pop sampler circa 1990.

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Comments to the effect of "let's hear YOU do better, then" will be met with abject agreement.

AGray wrote:Wanders back and forth over the line between "clever" and "precious"... electronic drums ... Recording was a bit primitive,

That's where you'll find me, week in, week out, looking for 'fun'. I know it's in there, somewhere. I'll keep digging ... I sense you know this already, but for those who might think otherwise, those drums are played live by the mighty Andy Balham on an electronic drumkit ... a bit primitive? Well, it is a song about monkeys Cheers for the review.

Hey, did I not say "electronic drums"? Did I mention programming or sequencing at all? Did I not, sight unseen, guess the VERY instrument and technique used to produce those sounds? DO YOU DOUBT MY PSYCHIC POWERS? If so, you do so at your peril! PERIL, I say!

BSS – good bass drum tone and keyboard is super-funky-hot-town as well. Very pretty arrangement – love that falsetto-thang in the chorus – could do with some harmonies in the background? Mix is excellent though the solo is very far left in my ear-piece but is nice and inappropriate in tone … oh ok there you go it’s just jumped to the right. That’s bizarre on heaphones. Actually I am not so keen on the slightly flat (not tune-wise, just vocal phrasing) mood of the verses. A minute over-long for my incredibly poor attention span. But VOTE anyway.

Cain - nice atmospheric start. Shoegazin’ away. I love that little keyboard noodling away underneath the streams off guitar. Ah, this is just personal taste – it’s very proficiently recorded, but I just don’t go for sloooooow songs like this generally – songs you can only sway to not dance to, and it’s not dragging me back over the enjoyment line. Not your fault, I am sure there are thousands of people who would nod with furiously concentrated expressions on their faces to this. Play it back for me at 150% of the speed and we may have a little more in common

Christopher Coggett – did I spell that right? Great harmonies in the chorus though a bit wobbly at times. Actually, the chorus and the verse seem to come from two different songs, I skill which I admire. The lyric is cute but a little throw-away, that’s the title more than the wordsmith, one supposes. Like yr solo. I realise that I can barely hear the bass. At first I thought there wasn’t one. Yank that sucker up, give the tune a bit more swing, which it deserves. Other than that, pretty.

Doscientos – It’s weird but occasionally the a-capella sound slightly out of tune to me, Maybe there’s some resident tone in the sampled drums that are jarring. That sample (or pad, if you made it yourself) is great – reminds me of Tom Waits at his most ‘bone machine’ – actually this song really gets going so to speak in the second half. Doscientos recorded one of my top five all-time great SF songs (Thanks For Coming) so I always want them to re-create the mood of that, but I love their experimentation and at least they’re not doing that awful sludge rock they occasionally slip into, so these get a VOTE.

Reist – No, I won’t use that dreadful new name As to the song? Oh welcome back, the Eighties, how we didn’t miss you! Actually that’s a bit harsh – it’s the Nineties as well. Heh. It’s a good song, if you like that sort of thing (which naturally, I don’t,) though I don’t like the simpering, anguished vocal approach, though it’s very well performed and recorded. I’m not sure the words suit the lyric content, but maybe I’m missing the point as per ususal. However, solid track and I kind of expected this to kick off into full on metal mode rock out, so extra points for that

J$ - is me and the mighty Andy Balham on rhythm section and weird ukulele / guitar hybrid. It’s my ukulele that’s out of tune, I have since discovered. In retrospect, deliberately sticking to “line-in only” as a statement on primitivism. You may not like the tone but it’s meant to sound like that.

Manhattan Glutton – Having head a few of your sf entries before, I must say I have always liked your voice on the sort of music you make – it adds a little tone of variation and distinction to an otherwise standardised genre. That said this song is well done but not my thing at all.

Other White Noise – As someone else said, do you NIN much? Still, it sounds f*cking awesome so I’m not complaining. Lyrically it doesn’t sound much so a wise mouth to obliterate all trace of meaning with the Robo-Rezonorizer (available to download from Ableton now, maybe) – great fat drum sounds. Wet and wonderful. Ridiculously short which I guess makes me angry but also glad I didn’t bore of it. I will consider my VOTE as I don’t feel much inclined to vote for a third of a song.

Paco Del Stinko – hey, hey, dangerously close to an American Thom Yorke there, C. Bonkers lyrical content and fabulous indie-operatic wall of harmonies. Awesome kick-in! Much welcome – wasn’t quite ready for a whole Prog Rock ten minutes! I love the joy you infuse in your music, the fun you’re clearly having, and the see-what-works-and-even-better-if-it-doesn’t-quite. There’s no discernable verse / chorus structure here – it’s feels like by listening I am lifting a flap on your forehead and peering down into the maelstrom of your psyche. That is worth a VOTE .

Ross Durand – Is that slap bass? Love the ‘tee hee hee’. You recall that I think the harmonica is the devil’s instrument and there is a HELL of a lot of harmonica here. And slap bass. The devil’s other instrument. Still it’s a fun lyric and it sounds like a solo 80s effort from the lead singer of some big 60s CCR-style rock band, which is meant as a compliment. I like the warmth of the vocal as well. Not to my personal tastes (HARMONICA!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!) but solid.

Scomber & friends – got the title wrong calamity! Like that trumpet. Nice shufflin’ tone to the drums. Lyric is a bit, ummmm, well, I don’t know, a bit earnest without being particularly profound? Also you seem to have forgotten to add a chorus The groove is good but if you’re asking people to lollop along, maybe there needs to be something more to act as a centralising focus? Ack, who knows? Not like I’m an arbiter of music or anything.

Semolina Pritchards – I’m not sure the showy picking start adds anything. When the song kicks in it’s good enough in itself. Good mix. Good guitarin’. Great rhythm section tone. Vocal is well performed and in tune, not too keen on the spat-out double speed phrasing cos it sounds like the singer is not entirely comfortable doing them. There’s a lot of indulgence here – I kind of knew your guitarist was good without the 25 riffs and solos. Could have done with a few less of them and a bit more time spent on the lyric which is cute but undermines the mood of the song, for me. hamsters on the wing, indeed. This is a good song but does no-one write choruses anymore?

Signboy – my god, this is quiet! I actually checked that my headphones hadn’t come out slightly. Is it meant to be this quiet? Or did the last song partially deafen me? what I can hear sounds like pretty good stuff, within a genre I don’t particularly like, but this is very distracting. Hang on (plays end of last song, into this one again) nope, it’s too quiet for me to make out. I don’t feel I can review it fairly. Any chance of a second mp3 with the volume boosted?

The Weakest Suit – surprisingly catchy and fun for someone who I 9probably unfairly) associate with taking his music far too seriously! Like that microphone effect on the vocals. Drums are a little loud over the lead guitar steppin’. Nothing revolutionary but I am toe-tapping. Some interesting chord shapes down in the mix there as well. Have yourself a cheeky little VOTE, why don’t you?

Last edited by j$ on Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks for the reviews everybody, I'll try to get some in soon.as for the reviews of my song:1: I suck at mastering. I know it's quiet, and any advice is appreciated. Before I exported this, the peak meter was at 0db, and rms was hovering around -10.

2: I DID use an amp simulator. Apparently I suck at this, too, and again, advice is appreciated. I have at my disposal a line 6 pod xt, which I am completely unable to get good guitar tone out of.

signboy wrote:Thanks for the reviews everybody, I'll try to get some in soon.as for the reviews of my song:1: I suck at mastering. I know it's quiet, and any advice is appreciated. Before I exported this, the peak meter was at 0db, and rms was hovering around -10.

2: I DID use an amp simulator. Apparently I suck at this, too, and again, advice is appreciated. I have at my disposal a line 6 pod xt, which I am completely unable to get good guitar tone out of.

1. Use an audio editing application after you export from your DAW. Then compress and normalize, or use the built in mastering effect some have. You may need to tweak the settings multiple times in order to get the exact loudness you want. If your audio editor has a way of measuring the loudness, that's a plus.

2. Line 6 has a great collection of online tones you can download to your pod. If you are having trouble dialing in the tone you want, I highly recommend going with one of those. Pods are very versatile and complex, so it's easy to shoot yourself in the foot if you aren't familiar with the processing chain. I just bought a Pod X3 (which I used on this song), and for the tone I just simulated my real amp and cab with no FX (but perhaps with too much gain). Also, double and triple (and quadruple) your guitar takes. Anyway, I didn't really have a problem with your guitar tone, I'm just answering a question.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm pretty excited by all of my reviews! By the look of things, I should be on the radio pretty soon!!! /sarcasm

If I had a dollar for every one of my songs j$ has called a 90s pastiche, I'd have $1 for every song I've written.

AGray wrote:Hi folks, tell me if I'm out of turn posting reviews as a complete noob who has yet to participate in an actual SongFight, but I just love talking music and I typed out a few thoughts on the tracks as I listened to them.

you are not, post as many reviews as you can manage to write!also, welcome!-bill

AGray wrote:Hi folks, tell me if I'm out of turn posting reviews as a complete noob who has yet to participate in an actual SongFight

Nah. Not that I make it OK, but I wrote many reviews before entering. All comments are welcome, and I don't suppose that someone that did only reviews would be out of place. Thanks for the comments so far, and looking forward to your tuneage.